Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Halima’s POV

I looked at myself one last time in the mirror and grinned. I looked dashing in my green French lace gown.

It was fitted to the lower bust then flowed from there down to my feet. It had long sleeves. Nothing more. It was simple, yet elegant.

I opted for simple makeup instead of my normal heavy makeup. I applied powder, arched my brows lightly and stained my lips with a nude lipstick then added a transparent lip gloss to give it a glassy look.

For the eyes I did a light smokey eye shadow with dark green, black and white eye shadow. I drew cat eyes, applied kohl then lastly maskara.

I tied a green satin on my head in a complex manner. I wore my gold earrings and rings, one on my index finger and the second on my middle finger, all on my right hand.

I wore two gold bangles on my right and a wristwatch on my left. I twirled in front my the mirror countless times.

It was the first time that I had opted for simple makeup. Though I had different types of makeup for different occasions.

For school I simply gelled my hair in a seven-seven manner, applied kohl and a transparent lipstick or sometimes, a moisturizer.

For weddings, proms, parties and wedding events I opt for the heavy makeup depending on the occasion. As for simple family outings, dinner, get together or school events with the exception of prom and end of the year parties, I go for the type of makeup I detest, simple makeup.

I was brought out of my trance as I heard my ring tone fill the air in the house.

She just wants to be

Beautiful she goes

Unnoticed she knows…

~~Alessia Cara: scars to your beautiful~~

I picked it up without checking the name of the caller and Ya Sa’eed’s voice came “I’m outside your house waiting fah.”

I quickly replied with am coming and picked my black side bag and slipped my inhaler and phone then fixed my earpod into my ear.

I slipped my leg into my favorite golden stiletto and draped a moderate golden veil on my shoulder then rushed down not forgetting to lock the house since I was home alone.

I entered the car and called mummy and she picked at the third ring. “hello Halima ya kike?”, mummy said and I could hear a man’s voice from the background.

“lafiya mummy ya aiki ya daddy?”, I asked as I chatted away since my phone was connected to the earpod. “komai lafiya. Talk fast I’m in a conference.” Mummy said and I could imagine her frowning.

“okay daman zamuje partyn ne yanxu Ya Sa’eed ya dauke ni”, I said. “okay toh have you locked the house? Did you recite the du’a I taught you for leaving the house?”.

“yes mummy amma I forgot the du’a please remind me”, Ya Sa’eed turned to look at me but continued driving nonetheless.

“ai na fada miki. I told you to write it down amma you claimed that you have a retentive memory. Tell Sa’eed to remind you I need to go.” And she cut the call.

“Uhmm Ya Sa’eed, please what’s the prayer for leaving the house?” I was beyond embarrassed. As a muslim I was supposed to know this little du’as but I never went to Islamiyya.

“ okay repeat after me, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Bismillahi tawakaltu alalahi walahaula wala quwwatta illa billah”.

I repeated after him and we continued the process till we reached school. I thanked him and we sauntered into the school.

We entered the hall and saw everyone rushing to the corridor leading to the dressing rooms. I heard an ear piercing screech. And the voice sounded awfully familiar.

I rushed to see who it was. After scurrying through people I finally got to the front and there laid Teemah in a cloth that exposed a lot of skin.

Thank God for the veil I was wearing. I removed the viel and used it to cover her head and it reached her lower bust.

I picked her head and tied her hair up then placed her head on my lap. She removed the veil and threw it away. She let out another ear piercing screech and she started shaking so much.

She was shaking so much that my lap and hand started shaking. She was running a high fever. I saw Amir coming with a bottle of water but I rose my palm and said, “stop there. Don’t even come close to my best friend. Stay where you are. You’re the reason she’s sick like this”

“now is not the time to fight, just shut up and take the water and sprinkle some on her face” Amir said through gritted teeth.

He took her palm and it was clenched into a tight fist. The only visible part of her palm was green. How that was possible I didn’t know.

Amir tried to unclench the fist but she said, “don’t you dare touch me stay away from me” and then she sent him flying to the other side of the corridor.

Her voice was laced with threat, so much threat. And it wasn’t her voice, it was a man’s voice. Then she peeled her eyes open and they were completely white in color. Where the pupil disappeared to, I didn’t know.

She jerked herself up and went to where Amir was lying down panting. She picked him up by the neck with one hand and said, “if you ever come close to Fatima Abba Sulayman, I won’t hesitate to kill you. I’m Azanraba and I don’t go back on my words.”

And then she dropped him with a thud and run out releasing another ear piercing scream. She ran out of the corridor and I followed her.

She finally reached the field and then she fell down and let another scream. She rolled and rolled, her body shaking. I saw Ya Sa’eed coming with Al-Misk then he opened it and asked me to rub it on my palms and clothes.

I did as told and he did the same. We rushed to where she was rolling and shaking then Ya Sa’eed said I should try to unclench her fist.

I was trying to open it and she was screaming something in another language that sounded like Japanese or Chinese. I didn’t know what she was saying.

She started shouting, “wayyooo. They want to kill me, wayyoooo. I’ll leave, I’ll leave. Please don’t burn me, ku barni. Wayyoooo”.

I felt my eyes sting with tears. I pushed it back and I saw the Junior school Islamic studies teacher coming with the school Imam and Aqsam Shaddad, the person that normally conducted MSSA.

Aqsam held a cane and Habbatus-saudah (black seed oil) in his hands. The Malam said we should leave her hand and hold her down for him.

We did as told and he started recitating the holy Quran off hand. Wow, how I wish I could do that, I thought. I could only recite from suratul Qadr downwards even with the Quran.

I shook the thought away and he turned and told all the girls to either cover their hair and body properly or leave the place. The christains and some Muslims scampered leaving only few people including Hamza and Amir.

He recited again and the male voice I had heard earlier came, “don’t burn me down, I’ll leave I’ll leave”. Malam said.

“what do you want? Why did you enter her body? Don’t you fear Allah”.

The Jinn speaking in Fatima’s body laughed, an evil one that sent a thunder of chills run down my spine. “I don’t have to answer your questions. But I’ll answer the last one, I don’t know or care who Allah is. His name is forbidden where I come from. Now let me tell you a story…”.

The mallam attempted to talk but all that came out was a mumble, “I guess you’re not as strong religiously as I thought. Don’t worry, I’ll let go of your tongue once I finish my story. And before I start, you don’t need to send me away, I’ll leave once I’m done with my story. Okay so Fatima here has been in her parents custody since birth, she’s been protected from me with Quran, Misk, zamzam(holy water) and lots more. The parents were killing me slowly so I left for some time to heal though someone kept an eye on her for me. Then finally when she entered jss3, she stopped praying.

“ She hardly prayed, I tried possessing her body but it didn’t work because her perfume contained misk. Then last week her perfume finished and she started using another one, that didn’t contain misk. I still tried again but it didn’t work, apparently she covered herself too much.

“I’d have done something but this gentleman here, Amir decided to help me. He didn’t know he was doing it but well, he was. He started asking her to remove her cap for him to play with her hair. I tried possessing her through her hair but my king said she needs to let her thigh or breast open for me to possess her.

“he finally asked her to wear a skimpy dress and she gladly accepted. That leads us to here”, I heard the Malam start his recitation all over again.

Then Teemah let out an ear piercing scream then started shaking before she finally gave in. I ran to her side and hugged her.

I didn’t realize I was crying till I felt her gown getting wet. Ya Sa’eed came panting before handing me a black gown and a big hijab.

I collected it and he picked her up and took her upstairs, to the hall. He dropped her in one of the dressing rooms then gave me red musk and said that I should rub it all over her body.

I collected it rubbed it all over her body making sure not to touch where I’m not meant to then changed her into the gown and hijab. I rubbed the remaining musk on her gown and hijab then rubbed the one on my palm all over my clothes.

Ya Sa’eed came and handed me my veil, and bag. I didn’t even know how he found them. I thanked him then he picked her up and took her to the car.

We drove to their house playing a surah I didn’t know from the holy Quran on a cassette all the while.

We dropped her in her room and Ya Sa’eed played the Quran on his phone then connected to a MPlayer then placed it on her dressing table. He also took a kasko and lighted one of the modern charcoals then smeared some black seed powder on it.

He left it in her room and offered to drop me at home but I said I’d stay and take care of Teemah. He sat me down and said he’d like to tell me somethings I might need to know about my best friend which apparently I didn’t know.

He begged me not to interrupt and I nodded. Then he started, “when Fatima was a baby her first words were Allah, Allahu Akbar. She’d always repeat those words sometimes even in sleep. Ammi was happy that unlike normal kids, she might not have to force Fatima to pray, go to Islamiyya and all that.

“ it all changed when she was five. She’d say Islamiyya is for babies. Ammi let her be. Although Abba was never in support of letting her be, he let it go. After some time she stopped praying unless she was forced. Until she met our cousin, AbdulHalim who at that time had returned to Nigeria with our aunt and uncle. They always got transferred so we never really actually knew them.

“he started staying with us because his parents got transferred to Kuwait and they didn’t want him to leave Nigeria again. He cried but Fatima went to him and asked,” don’t you want to stay with us? Do you hate us?”. She was six at that time. He said no and they started getting along.

“they’d pull pranks on me, argue about the silliest things, enter our store room and eat popcorn together. He loved her like a sister because he didn’t know how a having a sister felt. He was an only child”, he sniffed then continued.

“ with time he started teaching her how to recite the holy Quran, Du’as an a lot of things. He would sit her down and tell her about the Prophets, their companions, wives, children and whatnot. He used to call ger Nana Fadimatu Muhammad because she’s named after the Prophet’s daughter, Fadima.

“her favorite cartoons became those about the Prophets. Everything about her changed. Until the day he died. He was in a car accident. He died together with his dad when they were traveling. That day he had convinced her to go check her common entrance results”, he was shaking uncontrollably and crying.

“she came home shouting I passed, I came first in the whole school, I passed. She was ecstatic. After hearing what happened she passed out. She didn’t eat for two weeks. She even said she wanted to follow him. After some time she adjusted and got over his death.

“but she didn’t continue. She stopped everything except the mandatory things. Then she’d say she sees AbdulHalim. One day she fainted, we were told that a Jinn attacked her. From that day, nothing was ever the same again”. He finally looked up at me.

He opened his mouth to say something but the sound of something falling then a scream stopped him. We ran up the stairs.